Sandwiched between a road game at Clemson last week and the SEC opener against Florida next week, the LSU Tigers need to avoid a letdown against Louisiana Tech in Week 2. The Tigers were extremely impressive in their 17-10 win over Clemson, which catapulted them from No. 9 to No. 3 in the AP Top 25 Poll. Blake Baker's revamped defense was the main story, as LSU held Clemson to just 31 rushing yards and kept Dabo Swinney's team off the scoreboard in the entire second half.
The offense started slow, but came through in the biggest moments of the game in the second half. Most notably, Garrett Nussmeier completed all nine of his passes in the fourth quarter which included an eight-yard TD pass to Trey'Dez Green that proved to be the difference.
As great as the win was, there is still room for improvement. Here are three areas that LSU needs to improve on against Louisiana Tech.
Faster start on offense
The Tigers scored just three points in the first half against Clemson. Caden Durham played a prominent role in LSU's first drive, making plays both on the ground and in the passing game. But after six plays and 36 yards, the Tigers were forced to punt. On the second play of LSU's second drive, Oklahoma transfer TE Bauer Sharp fumbled, which was recovered by Clemson and led to a field goal. LSU's third drive lasted just five plays and went 24 yards before they were forced to punt again.
The Tigers put together a nice drive in the closing minutes of the second quarter, but failed to put any points on the board. Brian Kelly opted to go for fourth down conversion at the Clemson 12-yard line, a decision that immediately backfired. Kelly later admitted his decision-making in that situation was incorrect. LSU went into halftime trailing 10-3. In the home opener on Saturday, Tiger fans are eager to see a faster start on offense against a Louisiana Tech defense that pales in comparison to Clemson's.
More organized offensive approach
Going along with the first point of a faster start on offense, LSU needs to be more organized offensively. The Tigers were forced to burn multiple timeouts early on against Clemson because of miscommunication and pre-snap errors. On multiple occasions LSU lined up incorrectly and couldn't get organized before having to burn a timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty.
It was a bit surprising to see, as Nussmeier is a seasoned veteran and a great leader of the offense. Still, LSU's halftime adjustments were spectacular and the Tigers looked much better in the second half. They out-scored Clemson 14-0 in the final 30 minutes, and it really could have been 21-0 if a controversial call wasn't overturned on a potential Barion Brown touchdown reception. Going up against Louisiana Tech, it's imperative that LSU corrects the miscommunication and pre-snap errors on offense before starting SEC play against Florida next week.
Win the turnover battle
LSU lost the turnover battle in the opener 2-1. Mansoor Delane had a crucial interception against Cade Klubnik in the third quarter, but two first half fumbles by LSU put the Tigers in a tough spot. Sharp's fumble gave the LSU defense a tough assignment of defending a short field, but they were up for the task and held Clemson to a field goal. The second fumble of the game came on LSU's 4th-and-2 attempt to close out the half. Nussmeier hit Chris Hilton Jr on a screen pass, but he was immediately met by multiple Clemson DBs and coughed up the football. Even if he didn't lose the ball, LSU would have turned the ball over as he was well short of the line to gain.
Louisiana Tech won the turnover battle against Southeastern Louisiana 3-0 last week. In addition to the Bulldogs' two interceptions, sophomore DB Kam Franklin recorded an 80-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. LSU's offense presents a much tougher challenge for the Bulldogs, but Sonny Cumbie's squad was opportunistic in Week 1. LSU needs to take care of the ball and win the turnover battle in this one.